DONALD Trump’s war hero Ukraine peace envoy has broken ranks to publicly praise Volodymyr Zelensky – despite the US President branding him a “dictator”.

Decorated war veteran Keith Kellogg, 80, travelled to Kyiv this week to meet with the Ukrainian president who is currently embroiled with a bitter feud with Trump and his pals.

Kellogg – dubbed Trump’s ‘Special K’ – has been tasked with ending the war in Ukraine in just 100 days with his main duty being to act as a mediator between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington.

Military man, Kellogg, spoke with Zelensky on Thursday around the future of Ukraine amid looming pressure to agree to a peace deal.

Following the talks, Zelensky posted a video on social media in which he said the conversation “restored hope” in US-Ukraine relationships.

He also personally thanked Kellogg.

The special envoy responded with a glowing review of the meeting.

He said: “A long and intense day with the senior leadership of Ukraine.

“Extensive and positive discussions with @ZelenskyyUa, the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war and his talented national security team.”

The positive comments comes amid a period of diplomatic turmoil between the US and Ukraine after Trump branded Zelensky a “dictator”.

Tensions were so high that a joint news conference between Kellogg and Ukraine’s leader was cancelled last-minute at the request of US officials, Zelensky’s office said.

Spokesman Serhii Nikiforov gave no other reason for the briefing being called off other than it was in accordance with US wishes.

Despite no official reason being given for the late axing of the conference, it did come off the back of mounting disagreements between both nations.

Trump on Friday said he doesn’t consider it essential for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be present at negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“I don’t think he’s very important to be in meetings,” Trump said in an audio interview with Fox News. “He’s been there for three years. He makes it very hard to make deals.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz said he expects Zelensky to sign a deal granting the US a share of Ukraine’s mineral wealth. 

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Waltz, who was involved in the negotiations with Moscow that began on Tuesday, expressed confidence in the agreement.

“Look, here’s the bottom line – President Zelensky is going to sign that deal,” he said at CPAC.

“And you will see that in the very short term, and that is good for Ukraine. What better could you have for Ukraine than to be in an economic partnership with the United States?”

Trump sparked uproar on Wednesday after lashing out at Ukraine’s wartime leader and accusing him of “refusing to have elections”.

In a shocking social media rant, Trump warned “modestly successful comedian” Zelensky must “move fast or he is not going to have a country left”.

Trump also claimed the Ukrainian president talked the US into “spending $350 billion dollars to go into a war that couldn’t be won”.

He also later insisted he “trusts” that Russia wants peace after branding Zelensky a “dictator without elections”.

Trump then once again labelled Zelensky a “dictator” after the Ukrainian leader said he was “living in a disinformation space”.

Zelensky also accused Trump of falling for Russia’s propaganda and fake news as he told of his fury of Ukraine being excluded from peace talks.

Wrong, Donald

The Sun Says…

DONALD Trump’s smearing of the Ukraine regime as scam artists who provoked a war using US taxpayers’ money is a rant beneath the dignity of his office.

Almost nothing in it is true.

It reads like a post on a forum for ­conspiracy theorists. It is an unprecedentedly shocking statement from the President of the United States.

Vladimir Putin has made no secret of his imperialist ambitions, nor his denial of his neighbour’s right to exist as a sovereign, free country.

He invaded Ukraine, butchered and raped its people, stole its children and bombed its cities.

President Zelensky — far from duping anyone or inviting the conflict, far from being a “dictator without elections” — has been a heroic wartime leader who needs Western aid to overcome staggering odds.

The idea he is riding a “gravy train” is laughable. And his people, with whom he remains highly popular whatever Trump claims, have resisted conquest with immense bravery.

It is troubling and short-sighted in the extreme for the so-called leader of the free world to have no interest in a war ­raging in Europe because he is separated from it by the Atlantic.

America is not a business where Trump, as CEO, has no task except to slash costs and maximise profits. It is the most powerful democracy on Earth with global responsibilities and — let’s be frank — a duty to discern right from wrong with absolute moral clarity.

Others in the White House should urgently point this out.

Kellogg’s review of Zelensky is set to calm fears that Trump may bypass Ukraine and continental leaders to do business directly with Moscow.

European leaders have tried to muscle their way into the talks to try and make sure stability in the continent can continue even if Putin gets his way in the negotiations.

But no one was at the first peace talks other than representatives from Moscow and Washington, earlier this week.

The UK and France hit back after being left out as they soon suggested a peacekeeping plan that UK PM Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to propose to Trump in Washington next week.

It is said to involve putting up to 30,000 UK and European troops on the ground, an idea that Putin has said is “unacceptable.”

Despite continental fears, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back against accusations that the Trump administration has given in to Russia.

He said Washington first wants to see whether Moscow was “serious” about achieving peace.

Rubio added: “US President Donald Trump “wants this war with Ukraine to end.

“And he wants to know: Are the Russians serious about ending the war, or not serious about ending the war?”

General Kellogg’s formidable war record

KEITH Kellogg first joined the US military in 1967 and went on to have a stellar 36-year career as a top officer.

His main military service saw him rise through the ranks during the Vietnam War, work closely with the Pentagon during the 9/11 terror attack and give support to the US in Iraq.

His first taste of conflict saw him deployed in the Vietnam War as part of the 101st Airborne Division.

He would go on to qualify as a US Army Special Forces officer and work as a special forces adviser to the Cambodian Army during this time.

He even earned himself a hero status with the American people during the deadly Vietnam War when he bravely attacked the enemy on his own.

A brutal air assault saw several men from Lieutenant Kellogg’s 101st Airborne Division badly wounded and left for dead.

Brave Kellogg stepped up to protect his fellow countrymen and launched his own assault back on the enemies bunker system.

Navigating through the gunfire with a machine gun and grenades in his hand, Kellogg destroyed five bunkers in the valiant solo mission.

His actions earned him a Silver Star medal and kick started his rise through the US military ranks.

Kellogg also commanded the 3rd Brigade, 7th Infantry Division during Operation Just Cause.

Twenty three years on from his first mission Kellogg commanded the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

Due to his decades of success he was then given the honor of serving as the Chief of Staff of the 82nd Airborne Division and then as its Assistant Division Commander during Operation Desert Shield in 1990.

Kellogg also held roles as the Commander of Special Operations Command Europe and the command of the 82nd Airborne Division.

He later retired from the army in 2003 as a lieutenant general.

He was given over 30 prestigious awards during his time in the military.